Happy New Year everyone. I hope your Yuletide and New Year celebrations have been plentiful and that the year ahead offers you good health, prosperity, happiness and endless photo opportunities.

To kickstart the new edition of the fabulous "Show us your great photos" thread, I offer not a pic but a video. We took this last night and it shows, in all its glory, the incredible firework display we offered our neighbours from the comfort of our balcony. If you watch the video you'll see our neighbours' fantastic fireworks going off in the background - and then there's ours. 

This is what you get when you buy a box of mini fireworks from your local cheapskate supermarket (Albert Heijn) for the princely sum of 10 euros!  Still, it was so crap it was a laugh, which means it actually offered great value for money. I hope the vid of our box of damp balcony squibs also raises a smile with you.

Happy New Year!

 

1 minute ago, Steve S 60 said:

Gave this place a miss when looking for somewhere to eat....

The waitresses were dressed as nurses, and there was an intravenous drip beside each table.  There was an industrial set of weighing scales outside.

Nasty place, I guess only in Las Vegas?

Just now, TattooDave said:

Nasty place, I guess only in Las Vegas?

Apparently you get spanked if you don't eat all your dinner, and I can't imagine the portions being small.

23 minutes ago, Steve S 60 said:

Apparently you get spanked if you don't eat all your dinner, and I can't imagine the portions being small.

I wonder if they could cope with a bus load of elderly naughty schoolboys?

1 minute ago, TattooDave said:

I wonder if they could cope with a bus load of elderly naughty schoolboys?

I just watched a video of one of the "nurses" paddling someone's arse.  She qualifies for the free eats, so I'd say yes...

 

11 hours ago, Steve S 60 said:

I just watched a video of one of the "nurses" paddling someone's arse.  She qualifies for the free eats, so I'd say yes...

 

I'm amazed there's not a long queue of skinny masochistic old guys wearing very thin material shorts outside, as it's got to be cheaper than a hiring a hooker in Vegas, and you get the group humiliation thing thrown in. 

I see there's a Vegan option, but I think it was cigarettes!!

Happy on Sierra de Las Nieves yesterday, before he found the mountain streams and mud.

Putting my feet up after signing a few executive orders....

4 hours ago, Steve S 60 said:

Putting my feet up after signing a few executive orders....

The autumn colours in the background, and the scratches on the desk front make me think it's a mock-up, but having never been inside the Whitehouse what do I know?

7 minutes ago, TattooDave said:

The autumn colours in the background, and the scratches on the desk front make me think it's a mock-up, but having never been inside the Whitehouse what do I know?

It's in the prop department of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, LA.  I think the set was used in The West Wing and House of Cards.  No prizes for guessing where this set featured....

Just now, Steve S 60 said:

It's in the prop department of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, LA.  I think the set was used in The West Wing and House of Cards.  No prizes for guessing where this set featured....

Warner Bros has changed a bit since I was there last in 1990.  There's a clue in the top left corner, for those that aren't sure

1 minute ago, TattooDave said:

Warner Bros has changed a bit since I was there last in 1990.  There's a clue in the top left corner, for those that aren't sure

A lot of the outdoor lots are probably still the same.  They just get rehashed.  I recognised the church used in the closing scene of Cool Hand Luke, but it's been used in countless other films and TV series.  Had a look around the sound stage they use for Big Bang Theory, which is set to become their longest running sitcom.  They had a whole building full of Batman vehicles from all the films.

8 minutes ago, Steve S 60 said:

A lot of the outdoor lots are probably still the same.  They just get rehashed.  I recognised the church used in the closing scene of Cool Hand Luke, but it's been used in countless other films and TV series.  Had a look around the sound stage they use for Big Bang Theory, which is set to become their longest running sitcom.  They had a whole building full of Batman vehicles from all the films.

It's a fascinating place for sure, I was there in the middle of June and it was swelteringly hot, 112F and with the LA smog it was unpleasant, I fled to San Diego on The San Franciscan early the next morning, caught the train at Union station about 6am.  Carefree times.

10 minutes ago, TattooDave said:

It's a fascinating place for sure, I was there in the middle of June and it was swelteringly hot, 112F and with the LA smog it was unpleasant, I fled to San Diego on The San Franciscan early the next morning, caught the train at Union station about 6am.  Carefree times.

We were based in San Clemente for a week before driving back to Vegas.  The Pacific Surfliner used to pass by our digs a couple of times a day....

Just a few photos taken recently.  Wild Cowslips growing where I live.  Some photos from a walk up Weardale with a friend also.  Came across hundreds of spawning toads.  The pond was teaming with them and we had to watch where we walked 

Easter ride out Peterborough yesterday to a children's home and Sue Ryder care home

 

2 hours ago, ZoomSoulBlue said:

Easter ride out Peterborough yesterday to a children's home and Sue Ryder care home

 

 

 

Southfield's Drive, Stanground, had many a pint in there in the 70's before going to see the Posh

A nice walk around Poolsbrook Country Park near Chesterfield today, very fortunate to spot the Deer in the wood to the side of us, even more fortunate to get a decent photo, it just stared straight at me for a couple of minutes then went on its way, great day.

Nice pics again mate 

Grandson Thomas latest picture playing in his sand pit today on his first Birthday

 

 

Here's one of me at the top of the highest single drop waterfall in Wales

Steve

Ice Box Canyon, one of the trails in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.....

Look at me. All grown up now that I'm 1.

Whilst I was at Pennington flash today i achieved a lifetime ambition and was so lucky to see a male and female great crested grebes doing their courtship dance. I will post some pictures later when i have gotten over the excitement. 

Steve 

Great Crested Grebes

Ste they are brilliant photos mate

17 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Great Crested Grebes

Great photos of what is always a spectacular courtship display. Really nice to see. Well done. 

23 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Look at me. All grown up now that I'm 1.

That is a joyous picture Steve. He's beautiful. Almost brought a tear to my eye.

Peter

5 minutes ago, Peter99 said:

That is a joyous picture Steve. He's beautiful. Almost brought a tear to my eye.

Peter

Thank you my friend Hope your keeping well

I,m biased but Thomas is always smiling and happy . He is a credit to his parents.

Steve

17 minutes ago, Russell Gilbert said:

Great photos of what is always a spectacular courtship display. Really nice to see. Well done. 

Thanks Russell. Only flaw for me is the post in the background and the lighting wasn't brilliant . Ever the perfectionist

Steve

31 minutes ago, Widnes63 said:

Ste they are brilliant photos mate

Thanks Ste. Been so close in the past but they never completed the dance in view. Must have been shy

Ste

3 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Thanks Russell. Only flaw for me is the post in the background and the lighting wasn't brilliant . Ever the perfectionist

Steve

It's not exactly as if the grebes are hanging around waiting for you to get your camera set up and ready before they begin their dance. Sometimes you've just got to be thankful you were there with a camera at all. Well, you know what I'm saying. 

Before the courtship dance

Steve

Wood Pidgeon

 

The quite scarce, but incredibly plain Narcissus hispanicus recently found in abundance, surrounded by damp and mud which the dog enjoyed, but I didn't...

Probably my favourite photo of last week, the elusive Milky Orchid, Orchis lactea, one of only two I've seen this spring.

1 hour ago, TattooDave said:

Probably my favourite photo of last week, the elusive Milky Orchid, Orchis lactea, one of only two I've seen this spring.

Fabulous dave  

58 minutes ago, baz1 said:

Fabulous dave  

I always take secateurs with me Baz as they are wise plants, they grow under the inedible and spikey ground cover of oak that the goats and sheep leave alone, I cover them back up afterwards.

On 05/04/2017 at 20:57, Winsford Soul said:

Thanks Russell. Only flaw for me is the post in the background and the lighting wasn't brilliant . Ever the perfectionist

Steve

To be honest Steve i don't think the post detracts from the photo at all. I  think we can all get a bit anal about cutting bits out, if it was a litter bin in the background I could understand but the post is just part of the natural background to me. Guess we all have our own ideas & that's the way it should be 

Great photo's by the way 

Here's a few more from Me

Chiffchaff

Steve

Redshank

Little Ringed Plover

White Wagtail

This Otter had just caught a fish ( Perch ) and was about 60/70 metres out on the lake and even with the 500mm lens and the pictures heavily cropped this was all I could manage

Steve

A day out yesterday thanks to a cancellation, and as I don't do walk-ins I took off to the hills in search of orchids and other flora, this is the Yellow Bee Orchid, Ophrys lutea, but a very pale form, probably a hybrid with Ophrys fusca.

This is how they usually look...

 

On 03/04/2017 at 20:09, Winsford Soul said:

Here's one of me at the top of the highest single drop waterfall in Wales

Steve

Steve where's that warterfall - location - another one for my tick box Cheers Keith

An ugly big beetle that is a complete mystery to me, no doubt someone will have more than a vague idea as to what it is.

The view from the deck at a friends house yesterday afternoon, one of three decks on the property, and the highest of them.

Chiff Chaffs and Cowslips from yesterday.

1 hour ago, ZoomSoulBlue said:

Steve where's that warterfall - location - another one for my tick box Cheers Keith

Keith. It's called Pistyll Rhaeadr falls. Near the village of Llanrhaeadr-y-mochnant. Nr Oswestry. Its well signposted.  It's actually the tallest singledrop falls in the UK at 80 metres.  Enjoy mate

Steve 

1 hour ago, TattooDave said:

An ugly big beetle that is a complete mystery to me, no doubt someone will have more than a vague idea as to what it is.

Dave. It looks like a type of weevil . That's as much as I can help. 

Steve